The end of the year is when the studios release all the good movies in preparation for award season.This winter, I can’t wait to see The Monuments Men. The film is based on the book The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History by Robert M. Edsel. The story centers around the Allied group, the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives program, which was tasked with saving pieces of art and other culturally important items before their destruction by Hitler during World War II. You may be familiar with some of the story from the book The Rape of Europa: The Fate of Europe’s Treasures in the Third Reich and the Second World War by Lynn Nicholas and the documentary The Rape of Europa that was co-produced by Robert M. Edsel.  

The biggest draw will probably be the stars which include George Clooney, who also co-wrote the script and produced and directed the film, Matt Damon, Cate Blanchett, Bill Murray, John Goodman, Hugh Bonneville, and Bob Balaban, among others. Seeing their real life counterparts move the Winged Victory of Samothrace at the Louvre in one of the photos below makes me appreciate visiting it the last time I was in Paris even more now. The release date of December 18, 2013 will give you time to read the books and learn more about these brave men here.